Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-12
MCLAUGHREY'S PROTEST.
HIS EARNEST ASSERTION OF iNNo-
cENcE OF BooDleRY.

He Declares the Verdict Infamous and
Given in Submission to Public Ciamor
and Then Tells the Judge to Go Ahead
How Klehm Prevented Jury Packing
Services Rewarded
CHICAGO, Aug. 12-There was renewed in
terest observable in the audience at Judge
Jamieson's court Thursday, the day having
been set for the sentencing of the convicted
boodlers, and every seat in the room was &C.
cupied early. The first of the defendants
disposed of were Mccarthy Oliver, and Cas-
selman. They were all ST. 900 fine men, and
after hearing their sentence they walked over
to the clerk and paid their way to freedom.
Then came the infor1ners Lynn and
Klehm. Lynn, in behalf of his services to
tbs state in giving evidence, was recon-
mended by States Attorney Grinnell for
fine of 81, 600 Mr. Grinnell said he had in
tended to propose the highest fine-s5, O0o-
but as the others got off with 81 900 by the
jury's verdict, he thought that would do for
Klehm and Lynn. Consequently
these two settled up and their
trials we're over Before receiving
sentence klehm made a statement to the
court, in which he said the evidence in his
case showed that he had not been so black as
he had been painted, but there was testimo-
ny offered which he could not deny on the
witness stand without committing perjury
and that he would not do; therefore he
pleaded guilty. He had been Of some service
to the state in helping to secure jury that
was not fixed, P" but of that he preferred the
states attorney should speak.
GIinnell then arose and said overtures had
been made to him by klehm>s friends in his
behalf, urging that he could head off a
packed jury, but he CGrinnelD did not attach
much importance 10 the matter until the
cases of Tate Parks and Ostrander-jury-
men who were accepted and afterward
peremptorily excused by the judge
on the ground of too close con-
nection with the boodlers. Then
Grinnell said he got scared and had several
interviews with Klehm, who said he could not
prove it. but he was close enough to the other
boodlers to be certain that packed jury was
their plan of defense. Grinnell then arranged
signs with Klehm, by which he was to be
posted in the courtroom in selecting jurors,
and by this means he got rid of a number of
| men who were unsafe. The last juror select
ed-Clark, who held out in the juryroom
| against sending any of the prisoners to the
penitentiary-was allowed to 90 through
| without Klehm's assistance
Van Pelt and McClaughrey had been
brought from jail by this time, and the
former said be wanted an understanding with
the court. He had not money enough to pay
| his lawyers te take an appeal, and he wanted
until Oct ) to either raise the money or to
withdraw his motion for a new trial and re-
ceive his sentence. This suited the proSecu-
ton, and it was so arranged
McCIaughrey was the last. He wanted no
| new trial and said the application for that
proceeding in his case had been made without
consulting him He tossed a bundle of man
uscript TO the clerk and asked him TO read it.
The substance of 1t was that the witnesses
Lynn and Bipper, who testified TO his guilt,
had sworn falsely He denied that Bipper
| had ever placed any money in his pocket or
that he was in any manner implicated with
county crookedneSs He was not rich enough
to find even so in his pocket without know
ing where it came from, and no money he
| ever had came into his possession by rascal
| ity. The statement proceeded as follows:
1 was DOfu III view Sltbc anu Oil pNti
Is years old Fifty-three years of my life
have been spent in Cook county. When
was 40 wears old enlisted in the army and
fought for my country for two years, until
was wounded and unable to march.
During nv lifetime | have never forfeited
| the respect of nv neighbors and friends III
time of peace nor of my comrades in time of
| war. have never been dishonest with any
human being, nor coward. nor traitor &c
nv country ! am guilty of no crime. The
| statement made by Cot Mum in open court
the other day that | was willing to have
the motion for a new trial in my
case withdrawn and that | would then
| plead guilty and pay a fine of $1,000
was wholly unauthorized. The only lawyer
who has any authority to speak for me Is
| Mr.. Sullivan told Mr. Mum distinctly,
in the presence of several witnesses, that
would never plead guilty. ! have nothing
| to plead guilty of. would not plead guilty
now if your honor should promise in advance
that the fine imposed on me would be
| only 81.
| ssPubhc clamor and passion are at such a
pitch now that some victims are necessary.
| If man of my years. with the reputation
have among my neighbors, can be sent to tbs
peuitentiary solely on the testimony of two
confessed perjurers then ! will accept my
fate as | would have accepted without grum
bling the bullets of traitors.
| 81 solennlv protest that the verdict in my
case is infamous But | will not whine and
| beg to-day, as | did not whine or beg whei
| in nv prime and facing traitors on the field
| Il saw proudly that ! have received assur
ances every dav since this infamous verdic
| from my old friends that ! retain their un
| shaken confidence They know that hav,
/ broken no trust, that | have not beef
| dishonest They know as the city com
muuity can not so fully know that my
life has been honest aud industrious anG
| that nv habits have been plain and simple.
| left the city on an early train nearly every
| day during my official term. and WAS out il
| the country at my home among my neigh
bors, during the hours whel the public ha'
been led to believe that was carousing anC
| indulgiug in extravaganza and corruption il
| Chicago.
| "If your honor considers that Won can witt
proprety and justice sentence me to the pen
iten 5iary you may proceed TO do so. l hav,
nothing more to say"
During the reading McClaughrey stood
| erect, grim and determined He looked 1
soldier, every inch of him. There wasn't tn,
slightest trace of fear or emotion in his att
tude or department.
| The court looked at the oil man pityingI,
moment, then explained that it was a mat
| ter he had nothing more to do with than t.
pronounce the sentence upon the verdict o
the jury.
The old farmer said nothing. whereupor
Judge Jameson sentenced him to two year
in the penitentiary, and when the prisoner
was led back to the jail he expressed wisi
to be taken to Joliet at once, and accordingly
at l O'Clock he was placed on train il
charge of deputy sheriffs and sent there
Great Destruction of Timber.
Hull, England. Aug u. A disastrous fir,
broke out here Thursday afternoon in tn
| laroye tinhar ward of TavaracE & Codda ri